Here starts the show

I know it is a bit late for it, but alas, even I am human. Anyway, I am going to give my totally subjective view on the Tallinn Motor Show that took place at the end of April.
I just got all my photos more or less organized, so I will post in a random order, pretty much the same order I walked through the show.

The show itself was pretty big, it was in four big halls plus outside, between the halls around the Saku Suurhall area. Most suppliers here were represented (rumours are every supplier except for Saksa Auto (VW)), but I did not keep track of that. Why didn't I? Well, if they weren't there, they will not be commented on in this blog, will they? It's their loss (or gain).

So, anyway, let's start with a little big something I found in the outside department.

Photo: Karl Hallik

This is the GAZ 33081 "SADKO". GAZ (Gorky Automobile Plant) used to bethe truck for a long time in the Soviet Union. The marvel about this here green meanie is that it looks like a hybrid of GAZ51 and GAZ53 (produced from 1946 to the 1990s), which means if you happen to total it, you can buy cheap spare parts from every junkyard, which has any of those previous models there.
It's got a 4,36 litre turbo diesel engine, which creates 100kW at some point in it's life. And it weighs up to 6300 kilos. Basically it does not even promise to be faster than the old ones.

Photo: Karl Hallik

This here is the new MAZ. I will not even bother with the model name or number for various reasons. One: It's probably a series of numbers, which will not tell the average person anything. Two: It's not really their car.

The new MAZ is made using almost everything they got from big MAN trucks. Even the name is almost the same. The powertrain and drivetrain (the engine, the gearbox, and every bit that brings the power from them to the road) are from MAN trucks. The people in Minsk (MAZ - Minsk Automobile Plant) did the cabin (which looks a lot like.. you got it, a MAN) and the body and frame of the car.
A trucker friend told me the frame is so weak, if you run the car fully loaded for a while, then dump the load, it will be screwed. Literally. The main frame bars running from front to back are so soft, the full load the specifications say it can carry, will deform them. Go figure why they make a truck like that.

I wonder why they did not have the infamous KAMAZ there, which used to be the best dump truck ever due to its size (it was short, yet high, so big loads and access to areas big truck couldn't get to). I mean, they even race the DAKAR Rally (won seven times). And as their site shows, they're still active. Here's a piece of nostalgia for all of you ex-Soviet people.

Photo: Wikipedia